


Thorns

by Rook_385



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abduction, Evil!Ruby, Kidnapping, POV Ruby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-02-28 19:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18762475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rook_385/pseuds/Rook_385
Summary: When you have a major weakness, it is best to supplement that weakness with a powerful advantage. Salem knew that, and she knew where to find her advantage, an island called Patch where a girl with silver eyes lived.





	1. Chapter 1

Ruby Rose was an ordinary girl from the small island of Patch. Like many others around the world, she wanted to be a Hunter. She wanted to live out all the stories she had been told about, saving everyone they could without a care in the world. It was so much more exciting than the military or a local garrison, not to mention you got to travel around the world if you were a hunter. 

But that’s beside the point, right now Ruby was making her way through snow and wind. Even with the harsh elements her silver eyes shined with glee and an excited smile graced her face. Even as a little girl Ruby dreamed of being a hunter, in some ways she had been chasing this goal for as long as she can remember.

Ever since she had disappeared anyway.

Ruby pulled her scarf over her mouth her breath forming clouds in the cold air. Her gaze followed the disappearing steps in the falling snow, why did Qrow have to walk so far away?

She soon entered a patch of forest and found herself on a familiar trail that weaved through the trees. Ruby’s pace slowed for a moment before she forced herself to take a step, no matter what a Huntress never stopped moving!

She made her way down the trail for a few minutes before she finally reached a clearing. The path leads to a cliffside void of trees, resting just before the cliffside sat a lone grave. The grave made Ruby pause, she didn’t need to read it for she knew what it said. 

Summer Rose, Thus Kindly I scatter.

She heard a small sniff and moved her gaze from the grave and toward the man standing beside it, Qrow. His own gaze was fixated beyond the cliffside almost as if he was looking for something a thousand yards away. 

Ruby slowly made her way toward the grave and stood next to her uncle. Qrow glanced at her and quickly wiped away the tears, “Whatcha doing kiddo?”

“Visiting Mom,” She lied, “What about you?”

“Same thing.” He shrugged, taking a drink from his flask before letting out a long sigh. 

“Everything ok?”

Qrow stayed silent for a few moments, “It’s just… no, nevermind. It doesn’t matter.”

Ruby, shrugged and turned her gaze off the cliff. Enjoying the sunset and the light retreated behind the horizon. She smiled, how could something be so beautiful. 

The two heard a branch snap, causing Qrow to whirl around quick enough to make him wonder if he’d get whiplash. He narrowed his eyes at the large man making his way toward the two, he didn’t look familiar. This man was what many would describe as a tank, he had large steel-tipped leather boots with dark brown pants with a pouch on each leg containing Oum knows what. He wore a large olive green coat with a black shirt underneath. His dark skin was dusted with hair and scars, his hazel eyes scanning the two.

“Get behind me.” The uncle ordered, pushing his niece behind him. 

The man winced before taking a few more steps toward the two, “I take it your Qrow,” The man began in a deep voice, “I need a word.”

Qrow put a hand on his sword's hilt, “What’s your name?”

The man let out a small sigh, “No need for violence Qrow, my names Hazel.”

Qrow opened his mouth to speak when a loud explosion filled the silence. Ruby’s eyes went wide as smoke slowly made its way toward the orange sky, it’s origin being familiar. She suddenly found herself running from the cliffside and toward the trees.

“Ruby, Stop!” She heard her uncle yell. 

She didn’t stop, in fact, she increased her speed. 

Meanwhile Hazel watched as Ruby left the area, a small frown on his face. This wasn’t supposed to happen, Tyrion was a fool. 

Qrow unleashed his blade from its place on his back, its tip pointed toward the large man. A small smirk found itself on the man’s face, “I’m not surprised she would have acted so quickly, she’s eager isn’t she.”

Hazel squared up, his expression neutral, “She was.”

Ruby could hear the sounds of battle behind her but continued on her way nonetheless. Her feet carried her where her mind could not, why was she running? What was going on? Is Yang alive? Injured? Dead? What about dad? These were all questions swirling around her mind like a hurricane, but no matter what her feet continued to bring her home, it didn’t matter what was happening. 

A burst of gunshots? while she was scared her feet continued. 

Haunting laughter floating through the forest? Definitely creepy but her feet kept moving.

Finally, her feet skidded to a stop when she exited the trail and saw her home. She gasped, Yang sat face down in the snow her back barely rising when she took a breath. 

The silver-eyed little girl ran toward her sister, she only hesitated due to the gunshots that had erupted from inside the cabin. As Ruby checked her older sister for wounds she couldn’t help but think about why she was outside. “She was probably trying to find me.”

The girl’s gaze moved to the cabin, smoke and flames erupting from a broken window in her room. She turned back to the forest, “Why is this happening?” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned back toward her home just in time to see her father fly through a wall and out into the snow. 

“Dad!” She yelled, watching as a man in a brown cloak with wrist blades approached him. 

The man turned his gaze toward the girl. His steps slowed as he scanned Ruby and his lips twisted into a sinister smirk. “Why hello there little Rose, you look just like Summer.” The man said, squatting down to be on her level despite their distance to one another. Ruby stumbled backward as the man began to make his way toward her. 

“Don’t… say… that name.” A voice gasped out. 

The man sighed and turned back toward her father, “Why friend,” He began with a sarcastic tone, slowly making his way to the crawling man, “You should take a breath and rest a little.” He reared back his right foot and sent a kick toward her father's ribs, causing the blonde to scream in pain. Meanwhile, the man howled with laughter, his head looking up to the sky as he did so. 

Her father went limp, and his assailant went quiet. He shook his head and made his way toward the girl once more, “What a shame, he used to be such a good warrior. But grief is more powerful than even the most mighty grim.”

Ruby stumbled to her feet with tears rolling down her cheeks as she did so. She turned toward the forest but stopped when she saw the large man from before. Her eyes went wide when he saw what he had in his hand, Harbinger, Uncle Qrow’s sword. She gasped when she noticed the limp body over the man’s broad shoulder. 

His hazel eyes drifted from her unconscious sibling, then to her father the finally to her, he winced when he saw her tears, “This didn’t need to happen.” He began.

“But our queen demands it.” The cloaked man said from right behind the girl. 

He brought a hand down on her neck before she could run, once it collided she went limp. 

It was over. 

————————  
3 Months Later  
————————

Lilac eyes gazed at the familiar sunset. How could this have happened? What did they want with Ruby? How could she fix this? These were all questions that flew around her brain, almost as if it was a hurricane. She sighed as the sun retreated behind the horizon, the familiar red shade of the sky drifting below as well, almost seemed like it was anchored to the sun. 

It reminded her of Ruby, as much as those memories hurt to remember. The two of them had almost always been attached by the hip, they went almost everywhere together and did almost anything together. It seemed so long ago, each day dragged on slower than the last, and there was nothing she could do about it. 

“Yang Xiao Long I presume?” An unfamiliar feminine voice spoke, the blonde looked over her shoulder and met the emerald eyes of someone who could only be described as a huntress. 

She had bright emerald eyes with glasses and blonde hair that had been put into a bun with a curl going alongside her face. She wore a white long sleeve shirt that exposed a portion of her chest and resembled gauntlets on her wrists. She also had a high-waisted pencil skirt, black stockings, and a pair of heels.

Yang finished scanning the woman and fully turned towards the woman, “That’s my name, don’t wear is out!” 

The woman raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless made her way beside the blonde, “How have you been holding up, after your sister's abduction?”

Yang grew silent, “It’s…” She turned her lilac gaze toward the woman, “Wait, who are you? why am I telling you?” 

The woman gave a small smile and gave a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder, “My name is Glynda Goodwitch, I work a Beacon and know your uncle. You have no reason to tell me what’s going on if you don’t want to.”

Yang narrowed her eyes at Glynda, “If you work at Beacon what are you doing here?”

Glynda turned her back to the cliffside, “Follow me.” Without waiting for an answer she made her way back onto the trail. Without much choice, Yang followed the older woman. 

Yang had enough of the silence, “You know Uncle Qrow?”

Even from behind the woman Yang could see her nod, “I knew him quite well actually, we went to Beacon at the same time.” She stayed silent, familiar memories played in her hand, “Even as a first year he was determined to beat those who stood in his way.”

Yang sped up her pace in an attempt to catch up, “Did you two ever fight?” 

Glynda smiled, “How is he by the way?”

Yang tilted her head, “I… we haven’t seen him since it happened, said he had missions to go on.”

“He’s not wrong,” Glynda whispered to herself, a frown pulling at her lips. She quickly switched back to her neutral expression and turned her gaze to the younger blonde, “Thus is the life of a huntsman.”

From there, a silence descended on the two as they continued to walk. Yang thought about what Glynda had said, meanwhile Glynda focused on the trail. After a few minutes, the two had left the forest and entered a clearing with a familiar cabin. 

Yang followed the woman as she casually strolled into the cabin, with narrowed eyes of course. Glynda only stopped to glance over her shoulder, a small smile pulled at her usual neutral expression. Yang narrowed her eyes further before crossing her arms and following the huntress into the cabin.

The warm air inside the cabin swept over the blonde as she entered, meanwhile her lilac eyes had quickly swept the room for anything out of the ordinary. While many things were still where her father had left them there was the sound of laughter coming from the living room. Yang glanced at Miss Goodwitch, who just nodded toward the door, before giving a small shrug and making her way from the kitchen into the next room. 

In the living room were two people, both still laughing at some story someone had told. Her father sat on the armchair, while a man with silver hair and thin glasses slowly wound down from the joke. 

His gaze caught Yang’s and he stopped laughing entirely, a sympathetic smile pulled at his lips, “Miss Xiao-Long.” He said calmly, “We have a lot to talk about.”


	2. Chapter 2

Tai gestured over to the silver-haired man next to him, “Yang, this is Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy.”

“Greetings.” The blonde responded, her lilac eyes glared at the man, “So what did you want to talk about.”

Ozpin pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “Ruby Rose.” 

The room went silent, except for a sigh from Glynda, her displeasure clear. Ozpin crossed his arms over his chest, “To be more precise, the people that took her.”

Tai was quiet, his smile was gone and he glared at the hardwood floor. He stayed like that for a moment before he turned his attention to Yang, “Take a seat yang, please.”

Yang did as she was told and sat down in the chair opposite of the headmaster. Her lilac eyes glared at the man, Ozpin turned to Glynda for a second before turning back toward the blonde, “From the description your father was able to give me I was able to deduce that it was a former student of Beacon Academy, Hazel.”

“What would a former Beacon student want with my daughter!?” Tai questioned on the edge of his seat.

“I don’t think he wants anything from Ruby,” Ozpin answered the two, “However, the person they're working for might.”

Yang was now at the edge of her seat, “Who is he working for?” 

“Hard to tell,” Ozpin answered much to the two’s dismay, “There are many who would take a girl for ransom.” Or worse…

“No matter what I’ll have my most reliable contacts look for your daughter no matter how far or wide the search may be,” Ozpin reassured the two.

“Are you sure Oz?” Tai questioned the headmaster, “Remnants a big place.”

The silver-haired man stood up, “Tai, in all my years have I ever lied to you.” With that, the man finished his coffee and left the cabin with a quick thanks and goodbye.

“Are you sure it wasn’t her,” Glynda asked in the cold night air.

“Glynda, I know it was her… I just didn’t want Tai to know how much he’s lost.” Ozpin went silent for a moment, “She’ll return and we’ll need to be ready for it.”

Meanwhile, inside the warm cabin, Yang glared at her father, “Just how reliable is Ozpin?”

“In all my years of being a huntsman, I have never seen a man work harder than him.” His gaze made its way to a picture or Summer Rose.

Yang stood up from her chair, “What about the person Hazel is working for! He has to know something about that!”

“I hope you’re wrong yang…. I hope you’re wrong….”

————

A pair of silver eyes slowly opened to reveal an unfamiliar room. It resembled that of a princesses castle from a fairytale, worn black stone, a seemingly wooden door with iron hinges, and a sense of dread hanging above the princess's fate.

Ruby sat up from her uncomfortable bed and stared out of the nearby window, all she could see was a blood red wasteland. 

“Where am I?” She asked herself.

After a few moments, she made her way from the bed to the wooden door. She reached for the doorknob and twisted it, finding that it was unlocked.

Ruby pulled the door open and she found nothing but a dusty stairwell. The girl turned her gaze back to the empty room once before turning back toward the stairwell and leaving the room. 

She descended the seemingly endless staircase until she heard a group of footsteps growing louder. The young girl scanned for a place to hide and noticed a nearby door that was ajar, she raced across the hallway and slipped into the room just as the footsteps made their way around the corner. 

“What about the girl?” A deep voice asked.

The other figure scoffed, “What about her, it is for her to decide what to do.”

“We can’t just leave her alone in the tower, it’s unfortunate that she hasn’t woken up yet.” The deep voice spoke again, “She’ll wake up soon, we need to decide what to do with her while we can.”

The other voice laughed, “I think she’s more interested in getting everything she can out of Qrow.”

A gasp escaped Ruby’s lips before she could stop herself. She heard the footsteps slow to a stop, “What was that?”

The girl froze as the footsteps began to get closer. Who was that? What would they do if they caught her? Could she escape?

“Authur, Hazel!” A voice laughed down the heel, “Our Queen demands your presence.”

The footsteps stopped once more, she could see the doorknob shift from the man’s hand, “Let’s go.” The footsteps made their way down the hall. Ruby didn’t move until the footsteps couldn’t be heard anymore. 

The girl slowly turned around and closed the door, she backed away and released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. 

The raven turned around and was met by a weird sight. The room was stone, circular, and had no windows. The only source of light was a large crystal ball on the center of the room, the light swirled the room in unfamiliar shapes and lights.

The young girl left the wall and made her way toward the crystal ball. A strange whisper emanated from it, one that demanded her to listen. So the girl watched as the crystal ball revealed a man with silver hair and small green glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“I look at you, and I see wasted energy.” The man spoke into a mic.

The shape changed to a dark cloud, “Pyrrha!” 

Suddenly she saw Qrow, his arms in shackles and chains. His face was bruised and bloody, his breathing was ragged and uneven. He struggled against the chains but a laugh from someone out of view stopped him. 

“Qrow Branwen,” the man laughed again, “A true huntsman brought down by Salem’s will once again.”

Qrow groaned as his gaze found the man in front of him, “Tell Salem she can suck my-”

“You will hold your tongue,” The man interrupted, “You will have your chance to talk soon enough.”

“What are you doing?” A feminine voice asked the young girl. 

“Nothing!” Ruby whirled around and saw a cloaked woman in the doorway. She had skin as light as the snows at Patch, red veins that flew across her skin like roads, and eyes with such a deep red that they seemed like hate incarnate. 

“Ah,” the sound of realization left the woman’s mouth, “You’re Ruby Rose aren’t you?”

Ruby didn’t respond, while she may have been you she was old enough to know that she shouldn’t say her name to people she didn’t know. She also knew that this lady was someone who could not be trusted with the smallest of personal details.

“Not much of a talker I see,” The woman spoke, slowly making her way into the chamber, “I’m sorry for what happened to your family, dreadful business that.”

The pale woman continued to make her way to the crystal ball, not caring about the girl’s position.

“You see, I only want what’s best for someone of your lineage,” She sighed, the face of the silver-haired man appeared on the crystal ball in front of her, “Ozpin, he saw the potential in your mother and looked what happened to her.”

Ruby froze just in front of the door.

“He took her on a mission and she was lost, far from her family and far from civilization… I seek to prevent that same fate should Ozpin reach you first.” The woman turned her gaze over her shoulder, “It’s too bad Ozpin has turned many against my guidance.” She turned her body around toward the girl, “As I said earlier, I seek to protect you from the traitor and murderer that is Professor Ozpin.”

Ruby glanced at the image on the crystal ball for only a moment. The woman followed her gaze, a slight smile pulled at her lips, “Tell me, girl, what did you see?”

“Uncle Qrow.” The words left her mouth before Ruby could stop herself.

“So, you can speak,” The woman laughed, “Do not worry, he won’t be hurt as long as he cooperates.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong!” Ruby protested, “Why is he hurt!?”

“He wasn’t cooperating,” The woman replied without breaking a sweat.

“That makes no sense!” Ruby screamed, “He’s friendly me and my sister all the time! He works with my dad and the man in green!”

“The man in green, Ozpin, is a liar and is manipulative,” The woman sighed, “Look at what happened to your mother, she died because of him.”

“She went to kill grim!” The silver-eyed girl rejected, “She died saving lives!”

“Oh my sweet little rose,” The woman sighed, she stood up and held out a hand toward the sphere, “Come here, let me show you what I’ve seen.”

Ruby hesitated, but the familiar silver eyes of her mother pulled her in. Ruby glanced at the woman before she turned her gaze to the sphere.

—————

Her gaze left the orb, tears fleeing her silver eyes. She turned her attention to the woman next to her, “Why… why did that have to happen…”

“Don’t worry my sweet little rose,” Salem comforted the little girl, “We’ll get you your revenge in time.” She watched as another tear fell from Ruby’s cheek, a pale hand drifted down the girl’s back hair, “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Who’s this?” A new voice asked.

The two turned toward the voice and found a girl several years older than Ruby. She wore a red dress, had black hair that went down to her neck, and had amber eyes, “Is this the girl?”

“Oh, where are my manners,” The woman remembered, “Cinder this is Ruby, Ruby this is Cinder.”

The two watched each other for several moments, Cinder than glared at the woman, “This is Summer’s daughter?”

“Yes, she is.” The woman answered, “She’ll be your training partner from now on.”

“What?!” The girl crossed her arms, “She’s too weak!”

“And you’ll make her stronger!” The woman turned her attention to the young rose, “But first things first, do you have any experience with weapons my little rose?”

Ruby nodded hesitantly, “I’m learning how to use a scythe, like uncle Qrow.”

Cinder narrowed her eyes at the young girl, “How long have you been practicing?”

“I just started…” Ruby glanced down to the floor, “But he can teach me more!”

“We’ll see my little rose,” the woman began, “He could be too far gone.”

Ruby spun around to the woman, “Let me talk to him, I can convince him to train me!”

The woman stared deep into the depths of Ruby’s silver eyes, scanning and searching for something. After what seemed like an eternity she decided she approved of reapers plan, “Follow me my young rose.”

The trio made their way through the stone passageways, halls, and staircases until they found the jail cells. They smelt stale, dusty, and still… as if the air hadn’t moved in a thousand years. 

Chained against the wall Qrow glared at the floor as the group entered the room. He only glanced up when Ruby had uttered his name. 

“Ruby!” He struggled against his restraints, attempting to reach his niece.

His niece closed the distance and hugged her bruised and bloody uncle, “Qrow, how are you, not too hurt are you?” 

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he laughed, “What about you?”

“Not a scratch!” The girl proudly spoke, before a small frown pulled at her lips, “Can I get your help with something?”

“I’ll do what I can,” he watched the woman behind the girl.

“Can you help me train with a scythe, I need to get better,” When he didn’t respond her eyes went wide, “Please cooperate, she said she wouldn’t hurt you if you cooperated!”

“Ruby…” Qrow stared at the girl for what seemed like an eternity, “In all my career I have served one purpose, to destroy the evils that plagued the world,” he nodded toward the woman behind her, “And Salem is the single most evil thing on Remnant, I won’t help.”

Ruby grabbed his shirt and shook him, “Please Uncle Qrow! Don’t fall for his tricks don’t let Ozpin’s word control you.”

Her uncle’s eyes went wide, “She’s already corrupted you!” He turned his gaze toward Salem and pushed against his restraints, “SALEM! HOW DARE YOU! AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO SUMMER YOU HURT RUBY! I WILL KILL YOU!” He suddenly went silent and fell unconscious. 

Ruby turned and saw the woman holding a hand out toward him, her gaze on the girl, “Time to get started little rose.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?”

A man in a black vest pointed a gun toward the old man behind the counter, a small hum emanating from the weapon as it warmed up.

“Please,” The shopkeep begged, “Just take my lien and leave.”

“Shhh,” Torchwick hushed, “Don’t worry, we're not here for your money,” he turned toward his goons, “Grab the dust.”

The goons surrounding him spread out from the store to gather dust from the refineries on the walls, while others demanded crystals from the display in the counter. 

One of the men turned from the refinery and saw a short girl in a black cloak. She wore a pair of black boots and tights, she had a black vest that turned into a hooded cloak, she also wore a black corset. He could see black shoulder length hair that was partially covered by a pair of white headphones. 

“Okay kid,” The goon spoke, he unsheathed his sword, “Put your hands where I can see ‘em.”

The girl didn’t respond, she simply turned the page of the magazine she was reading.

“Hey!” He called out again, “You got a death wish or some’n” he made his way toward the girl and grabbed her one of her shoulders.

Torchwick watched as one of his men were sent into the wall. He glanced at the goon next to him and nodded toward the corner of the store where his goon had been thrown from.

His gaze watched as the man ran over and held his gun out toward the source of the trouble, “Freeze!”

Within a second the man was tackled out of the window with the girl flying out soon after. 

Torchwick and his goons made their way to the broken window and watched as the girl stood up and released a pair of small scythes with chains that connected to a pair of gauntlets.

She gave them an experimental spin in the air next to her before fixing her silver-eyed gaze toward the group of robbers in the store. 

“Okay…” Torchwick began, his eyes wandered over to the rest of his goons, “Get her!” The group ran through the front door of the store and toward the reaper.

The scythes cut through the air and slammed into one of the men and sent him flying, while the other hooked around his foot and threw him into the nearby wall. The final man swung his sword toward the teenager he dove underneath his swing and swept his legs out from under him, she didn’t wait even a second before she kicked the man’s head and knocked him out.

Torchwick looked down at one of the unconscious goons, “You were worth every cent, truly you were.” 

He turned his gaze toward the reaper, “Well black, I’ll admit this has been an eventful evening,” He dropped his cigar and slammed his cane on top of it, “But as much as I’d like to stick around,” he pointed his staff toward the girl, “I’m afraid this,” A target sight appeared from the can, “Is where we part ways.”

A blast screeched through the air toward the reaper. 

Her silver eyes went wide as she dove toward the right of the blast, but the shockwave sent her flying into a bench. When she stood back up Torchwick was climbing up a ladder to another store. 

She turned to the old man, “You okay if I go after him?”

He nodded his approval and the teenager quickly scaled the building and charged toward Torchwick. She spun the scythes in the air around her once again, her silver eyes burned into the back of his head, “Hey!”

The crime boss stopped at the edge of the building and glanced over his shoulder said something under his breath.

A sudden gust of wind made itself known as a bullhead hovered above the alleyway, a spotlight moved and illuminated the girl. 

The ginger climbed onto the bullhead and turned toward the girl, a red crystal in his hand, “End of the line, black!” He tossed the crystal onto the roof and shot a flare from the cane, causing an explosion to ring out on the roof.

Laughter bellowed from the crime boss, but a hint of purple stopped him. 

When the smoke cleared he was able to see a woman with bright green eyes and light blonde hair. She had a pleated top, a black high waisted pencil skirt, black stockings, and boots. A purple circle sat in front of the two, just beyond the woman’s riding crop. 

The blonde hummed and pushed her glasses off before sending a flurry of beams toward the bullhead, which sent the crime boss stumbling toward the cockpit. He disappeared into the cockpit and the bullhead began to leave the area. The blonde disagreed and conjured a black cloud over the bullhead, which quickly sent a storm of crystals into the hull of the bullhead. 

A woman in a red dress soon entered the bullheads cargo hold. The blonde narrowed her green eyes at the woman before swiftly blocking a fireball. The remnants of the fireball began to hum and the huntress jumped back just as the hum turned into an explosion. 

The shards of the roof that had been blown off were formed into a spear and hurled toward the bullhead. A trio of fireballs attempted to destroy the spear but was unsuccessful. The bullhead banked and deflected the spear. 

Finally, the spear finally deformed and split into three, changed directions, and began to make contact with the vehicle. The woman in red sent a wave around the bullhead and disintegrated the spears. 

The silver-eyed girl glanced at the blonde before turning her attention back toward the woman in the bullhead. The blades of her scythes folded in and a trigger folded out. She shot a round of bullets flew toward the woman, who held out a hand and blocked every shot. 

A half circle of wards formed behind the two and the blonde huntress hurled the younger girl forward, just narrowly avoiding the explosions. By the time the two looked up the bullhead had pulled away and made their escape.

“You’re a Huntress!” The Silver-Eyed girl spoke, grabbing the woman’s attention.

\----------

“I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady.” The Huntress scolded, “You put yourself and others in great danger.”

The girl kept her head down and her gaze on the table in front of her.

After a moment of silence, the woman turned to the young reaper, “If it was up to me, I’d sent you home with a pat on the back,” She turned to the girl as she lifted her head, “And a slap on the wrist.”

Her riding crop slammed against the table.

“But… there is someone here, who would like to meet you.” She made her way past the doorway as a familiar man with silver hair arrived with a plate of cookies in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

He placed the plate down on the table and stared at the girl for a moment, “May I ask your name?”

The girl tensed for a moment before letting out a breath, “My name is Ruby Rose.”

Ozpin’s eyes widened for only a moment, “Hello, Ruby Rose” He hesitated, “You know you’ve been missing for a number of years, yes?”

“I do,” Ruby answered.

“May I ask where you have been?” The man asked he took a drink of his coffee.

“I was taken from my home many years ago, trained to fight and serve a woman named Salem,” Ozpin tensed at those words, he stayed silent as he listened to the girl, “I managed to sneak out a couple months ago, it’s been a game of cat and mouse for me.”

“Now I can finally get back to your family.” Ozpin sighed, “Do you want me to call them right now?”

“I don’t think it would be best…” She took in a breath, “I don’t want them in the line of fire.”

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, “Where would you go then?”

“I have two options,” The girl began, “I could either stay in vale and get a job, or I could hopefully go to Beacon.”

“Why Beacon,” The man asked.

“I was trained to fight huntsman, I think I could apply those skills to killing Grimm and saving people until they stop trying to find me.” 

Ozpin was quiet for a while and glanced at the Huntress, who sighed. He turned his attention back toward the girl, “I suppose I could, but one last question?”

“I will answer whatever I can.”

“Do you know what happened to your uncle Qrow?”

“No,” The girl responded after a pregnant silence, “All I know is that Salem had a hold of him, I don’t know if he’s alive or dead.”

“Alright, So you’ll report to Beacon Academy tomorrow and we’ll train you as much as we can starting tomorrow.” The headmaster spoke, “Have a nice night Ruby Rose,” He made to stand up before suddenly turning back toward the girl, “Do you have an alias in mind?”

Ruby nodded, “Rose Thorne.”

“We’ll make sure to add Miss Thorne to the student Roster, have a good night Miss Rose.”

\----------

Ruby found herself walking out of the police station and down the streets of Vale, how long had it been since she’s been here? It didn’t matter, she had a home now. She glanced at the gauntlets on her arms, the chains wrapped around her arms as if they were handcuffs.

Her silver-eyes moved up to the many skyscrapers of Vale, something that she wouldn’t have seen out in the wilderness with Salem’s Court,

She turned the corner and walked past a nightclub, the normal music replaced with explosions and gunshots. The girl stared at the building for a few moments before continuing on her way down the sidewalk.

Occasionally a car or two would drive past Ruby and into a parking garage or further down the street until she couldn’t see them anymore. It surprised her, her utter lack of shock from these things, the culture shock was almost completely absent in her. 

She had spent years and years in the middle of nowhere, in what the kingdoms called the ‘Grimm Lands’ while it may not have been her decision it had taught her a great many things. 

She rounded another corner and made her way to a familiar building, The Serin Hotel. Ruby made her way inside and toward the receptionist, “I’m checking in.”

“May we have a name miss,” The receptionist asked her.

“Rose Thorne,” She told her, “I’ll also be checking out tomorrow, is it okay if I pay from my scroll?”

“Yes miss Thorne, sleep well and see you tomorrow morning.” The receptionist replied with a yawn.

Ruby made her way into the elevator and up to her floor, she then used her scroll to enter the room. It was nothing special, a single desk and bed with a window overlooking much of the city and giving a view of Beacon. It had a very small bathroom and a single lamp in the corner near the window.  
Seeing as it was getting late, Ruby made her way into the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she was finished she returned to find a familiar face sitting on the bed, Cinder Fall.

“Good work,” She said in her usual sultry voice, “You really scared Roman, Impressive performance.”

“I learned from the best!” Ruby replied, “Did you get everything you needed?”

“This failed robbery was a big enough distraction to pull off another just around the corner,” Cinder laughed, “What about on your end? Did you talk to Ozpin?”

“Yup,” Ruby confirmed, “We talk and I told him the story, I’ll be reporting to beacon in the morning.”

“Good.” Cinder laughed, “They’re falling for it, hook, line, and sinker!”

Ruby placed her scroll on her nightstand, “When will I get my next set of orders?”

“We’ll be out of contact for a few weeks, it takes time to get past Beacons encryption.” Cinder told the younger girl. She stood up and made her way to the door, “Good luck.”


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby rolled her eyes as the scores of students stared at the Kingdom beneath them in amazement, Signal Academy must have looked like a small town from this altitude. The towns and villages outside of the kingdom taught her the same if not more than the academies within, but there were limits. Huntsman was amongst the most lethal and capable people on the planet, and she needed to be one. 

Her silver eyes stared at the buildings beneath her, a small frown pulled at her face. Why?. 

“So, what’s your name?”

Ruby glanced over her shoulder and saw an older girl with wild blonde hair, a short tan jacket which exposed her midriff, a yellow crop top, and two yellow bracelets. Ruby glanced up into the girls lilac eyes and stopped scanning, “Rose Thorn.”

“What’s your story, you looked a little unimpressed,” her lilac eyes widened for a moment, “Yang Xiao-Long, sorry.” She rubbed the back of her head.

“No problem,” Rose turned her gaze back out of the window, “I grew up outside of the kingdoms, I learned almost as much as everyone else through experience.”

“Then why are you here, on an airship to Beacon?”

Ruby opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when a familiar voice filled the airship, “Hello and welcome to Beacon.”

Yang tilted her head, “Who’s that?”

“My name is Glynda Goodwitch,” The hologram spoke.

“Oh.”

“You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy!” The hologram congratulates the students, “Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it.” Her gaze crawled across the crowd, meeting the gaze of every teenager, “You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world.” With that, the hologram disappeared. 

A few students suddenly gasped and pointed down toward what Ruby figured to be Signal Academy, she rolled her eyes. 

Yang raised an eyebrow at the younger girl, “The view isn’t that bad, you know,”

“It’s like I said before.”

The sounds of dry heaving pulled her attention away from yang and toward another blonde, he was hunched over and was having a hard time keeping his lunch down. He stumbled backward from the window and quickly made his way toward the doors of the airship, much to the two girls amusement.

“Well… I guess the view isn’t for everyone,” Yang rolled her eyes.

Ruby gave Yang a once over before turning her gaze back toward the window, “You got barf on your shoe.”

“Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!”

\----------

They many students made their way out of the ship, they stared at the mass of towers and arches in front of them. Meanwhile Ruby and Yang watched the blonde empty his lunch into a nearby trash can.

“Wow…” They spoke in unison.

From there on the group of students began to separate into different groups and make their way toward the tower in the center of the campus. Meanwhile, Rose shook hands with Yang and left to make her way further into the campus. 

Her silver eyes danced around the tall structures and small gardens, a smile continued to pull on her lips no matter how hard she tried to keep it down. Finally, with a sigh, she stopped and decided to smell a couple of flowers next to the walkway. Almost immediately Ruby was knocked to the floor by a cart, which sent the crates of what could be assumed as supplies flying toward the ground. 

“What are you doing,” A girl spoke, her lips pulled into a thin line. She had long white hair pulled into an off-center ponytail and wore a blue dress, “Do you have any idea the damage you could’ve caused!”

When Ruby tried to grab a case off the ground the other teenager ripped it from her grasp, “This is Dust - mined and purified in a Schnee quarry!”

“Oh,” Ruby spoke, much to the other teen’s irritation, “I have one question princess, why-”

“Heiress actually,” Another voice chimed in, grabbing the attention of the two arguing teens. The two turned to see another teen with long black hair and a black bow on her head, “Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellent in the world.” 

“Finally some recognition!” Weiss sneered.

“The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners.”

Weiss sputtered and Ruby could swear she could see steam erupting from the girl’s ears, “Wha- How dare you- The nerve of…” She quickly ripped the bottle of Dust from the girl's hands and raced off.

Ruby turned to nod toward the other girl but frowned when the girl had already left. She sighed and turned but another set of footsteps grabbed her attention, Ruby turned to see the same boy who had been vomiting in the airship.

“Hey, my names Jaune.” He held his hand out toward her.

“Rose Thorns,” She grabbed his hand and shook it. 

“So I couldn’t help but see you get in trouble back there, what was that all about?” The Blonde asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Something stupid,” Ruby responded with a shrug, “It was just something related to dust and a very stuck up girl.”

“Oh,” The blonde rubbed the back of his head, “So, the view from the Airship was cool!”

Ruby turned toward him and raised an eyebrow, “Sure, vomit Boy?”

“Look,” Juane took a deep breath, “motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!”

“Sorry, “ Ruby laughed, “I guess it was the first thing that came to mind.”

“Well, what if I called you…” Jaune paused, “Yeah I got nothing.”

The two passed through a doorway and entered the massive auditorium, everywhere they looked they saw more people. Ruby watched the people around her and crossed her arms.

“Not one for crowds, huh?” Jaune asked the girl, having observed her actions.

“Not this large,” She spoke, her gaze turning toward the blonde next to her, “The airship was fine since there was like, thirty?”

“But since this is almost a hundred, you’re not so sure.” Jaune guessed.

Ruby nodded, “Yep.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat filled the room and everyone’s eyes turned toward the nearby stage. Standing just behind the microphone was Headmaster Ozpin, his face was expressionless and he had one hand behind his back and a mug in the other. 

He stepped up to the mic and gazed out at the crowd of new students, he pushed up his glasses, “I’ll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people.” His gaze swept over the crowd like a heavy wave, Ruby watched as Jaune squirmed a tiny bit, “But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction.” Whispers began to circulate the crowd, however, a few kept their eyes on him, “You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up for you to take the first step.” 

Glynda Goodwitch stepped up to the microphone as Ozpin turned and left, “You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed.”

The woman turned and left the stage just behind Ozpin, meanwhile, the students were left to talk amongst themselves. 

“Well, he seemed... bored?” Jaune tilted his head, “Is that the right word?”

“I’m not sure,” Ruby tapped her lip with her index finger, “I think he just seemed off.”

Jaune nodded, “I get what you mean.”

The students around them soon began to make their way toward the ballroom, the duo decided to join the wave. Jaune watched as Rose continued to scan the students around her, almost like she was searching for a threat?

“So, where did you grow up?” The blonde asked.

“Outside of the Kingdoms,” Ruby answered, her eyes still shifting through the crowd.

“I’m sure you weren’t too far, what about your family?”

Ruby’s gaze stopped when she saw Yang further into the crowd, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen them.”

Jaune was silent for a moment, “... Do you want to talk about it, it seems like there’s a history there.”

Ruby sighed and turned her silver eyes toward Jaune, “No, I don’t.”

Jaune nodded, “Ok.”

“HEYO!” Another voice cut in, Yang’s by the sound of it. The two turned to see the confident blonde with her signature smile, “Was it me or did Ozpin sound… off?”

“Our thoughts exactly,” Jaune laughed, “Maybe he hadn’t had enough coffee.”

“Don’t think so,” Ruby replied with a shrug, “All he drinks is coffee.”

Jaune raised an eyebrow, “How do you know?” 

“When I was being interviewed last night he had a mug of coffee then, maybe he only drinks coffee?”

“You were interviewed last night?” Yang tilted her head, “Didn’t you pass an exam?”

“In my way,” Ruby told the two, “I stopped a robbery from happening late last night, apparently it was enough to impress the headmaster.”

The group finally entered the ballroom, quickly finding many students already setting down their sleeping bags and preparing for the day ahead. Ruby sat down in the corner and pulled out her scroll.

No new messages. 

Ruby sighed, she had been told that she’d be out of contact but she had to check just in case. Ruby’s gaze turned back toward the other students, a small smile filled her face. They had the looks of both hope and dread, hope that they would be the next generation to defend their families and dread that they’d die.

She hoped they wouldn’t have to.

Salem promised… Cinder promised.

Their only target was the Headmaster, not the students.

If anyone got in their way, they were prepared to take action, however, that wasn’t the plan… Ruby closed her scroll when she noticed a familiar blonde approaching her.

“Hello again~” Yang greeted with a massive smile, “Why set up in the corner, there’s plenty of space in the rest of the ballroom?”

Ruby shrugged, “I don’t know, I just feel more comfortable here.”

“Really?” Yang tilted her head, “I guess the wall can get be comfortable than I would’ve guessed.”

“No, it's not that.” Ruby giggled, “I guess it’s something that I started doing when I was little, the wall was something of a barrier to keep the monsters out… it made me feel safe.”

Yang’s smile softened, “Would it be okay for me to move over here toward you?”

Ruby paused when she saw the blonde’s smile, a smile soon arrived on her face, “Not a problem at all.”

The blonde nodded and made her way back to her sleeping bag, meanwhile Ruby closed her eyes and thought back toward the last time she had seen a smile like that.

For as long as she could remember the only smiles she had ever gotten were cold and off, just like the castle she had lived in. The roars of Grimm always seemed to be around the corner, and some were. 

Ruby shook her head, it didn’t matter about the grim! It was the smile that had managed to get the better of her, it seemed… nice, warm, familiar?

She didn’t know.

Yang soon returned with her sleeping bag, backpack, and smile. She placed her bag next to Ruby’s and got into it, the late-night seemingly extinguishing the fire which was Yang Xiao Long.

Ruby followed the blonde’s example and closed her eyes, letting the sanctuary of sleep wash over her. She replied the day's events in her mind a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips, stage one was almost complete. 

She had almost made it into Beacon, all that was left was Initiation.


End file.
